Dissidia Final Fantasy Chronicles
by MoonDreamer18
Summary: My own take on the Dissidia Final Fantasy duodecim's story. Contains SPOILERS. The once loyal knight, Garland, has betrayed his kingdom. Wishing to attain more power, he created a time loop, becoming immortal. A mysterious warrior, with no name nor an origin, rose to oppose him. After many cycles of a never ending fight, both decided to summon allies to determine the victor.
1. Prologue and Chapter 1

**DISSIDIA DUODECIM**

 **CHRONICLES OF THE NEW WORLD**

 **PROLOGUE**

At the beginning, there were the four crystals: Earth, Water, Fire and Wind. There was also space and time, the threads wrapping everything together. There was light and there was darkness, mixed in harmony. These forces commanded the entire universe and so balance reigned over existence.

However...

A man, moved by his own pride and greed, decided to challenge the order of the universe in his pursue of power. With powerful but dark magic, he broke the laws of time and created a loop to grant himself eternity. So harmony was disrupted and chaos reigned.

The world was veiled in darkness; the wind stopped, and the sea became wild. The earth began to rot...

People could only wait for a savior...

"I am calling you, warriors of light, to restore harmony to the entire universe.

Gather! Find the crystals that will guide you on the righteous path! Take your weapons and stay forth and brave! As this very battle will determine our future. "

 **PART I**

 **CHAPTER 1:**

 **THE MECHANICAL CITY OF RONKA**

"Last night, I had a dream. I dreamed I was transported to a grandiose city in the sky"

He woke up in the outskirts of town, over the humid and green grass. He did not have much recollection of the events that had happened the day before but one thing he was very sure of: that place he had landed on was not of his cognizance. He sat down and checked on the surroundings with only his sight: a deep forest was right behind him and a huge city was right in front of him; a city with a castle on its very heart which dome arose so high as to touch the sky. The breeze was soft and cool and not even the sound of a cricket could be heard. The boy stood up slowly and checked on himself: he was wearing his distinctive and usual red armor and his helmet with the big white onion-shaped decorum was still on his head. He was wielding a sword as well and a pocket knife and he had no injuries but a mild headache.

He, then, noticed he was all alone. The last night he had been staying at an inn along the other orphans; his siblings and comrades, the ones he was travelling with to save the world. For a second, he thought maybe they could be around but after calling out their names out loud, he was sure they were not around. His skin trembled and a cold sensation went down his spine… it was the very first time he was left alone in such a foreign land; before, he had always had the comfort of his siblings. He could not help feeling quite scared; however, he shook off the feeling and decided to walk towards the town he had right in front of him. Since he was chosen to save the world by the crystal, he had convinced himself to be brave no matter what may be waiting for him ahead. He raised his head and walked towards that place.

The ambient was so silent, so very silent… only his steps cracking the grass could be heard. He grew suspicious: he had never been in such a peaceful place before. Such silence only made him restless. He took off his sword and cautiously, he continued at a little faster pacing. Suddenly, as he had already expected, he heard steps coming right to him. They were originated from the town's path and there were many of them. He, however, did not back off and patiently waited for whatever was to come. He only held his sword on one of his hands and the knife on the other one.

After some minutes, the figures of three powerful warriors could be seen. They were cladded in a golden armor and wore silver helmets and furred capes. On their hands, they swung ball-and-chain flails. Maybe they were but protectors of the town, the young boy thought, maybe he could convince them he meant no harm to the city. He decided to put off his weapons and right when the warriors had reached him, he spoke to them:

"I am the honorable Onion Knight!" he said "It is true I am a warrior but I mean no harm for you or your city… I am lost and searching for my comrades… I wish to enter your town if it is not a problem with you"

He waited for a response; however, the three men did not pay any attention to him and without meddling words, they jumped to attack him with their weapons. The Onion Knight backed up as fast as he could, grabbed weapons on both hands and used them to defend himself from the men's powerful attacks. He kept on questioning the warriors why they were attacking him; but the men were not responding…it was as if they were not humans at all. The young boy was pushed back and further from the town… he knew well those warriors were too strong for him; he knew he had to come up with a plan to run away. Maybe he could use some magic and distract them.

He, once again, jumped backwards and began casting a simple thunder spell. He hoped his plan would work and the spell will draw them back. He was about to cast it when suddenly, he heard many more steps coming from right behind him and before he knew, a shadow passed right over his head.

Another young boy landed right in front of him. It was a young man holding a sword on his hands; a boy of short silver hair and who was wearing no armor but a short jacket and a pair of pants. He, however, defied the three warriors to a fight and spoke to him, exhorting him to run:

"Run! I'll take care of them!" the young boy said

Onion Knight thought it was an excellent opportunity to run. He had been so lucky someone had come to help him; however, before he could leave, he noticed the other young man did not have the situation under control and was actually struggling to stop the knights. Onion could not leave him behind so he, once again, returned to cast the spell and finished it, forcing the three men to go back. The other boy took the chance and stroke them with strength. They kept repeating that strategy until two of the warriors retreated. It was only the last one remaining who took the silver haired boy by surprise and was about to land a strike right on his head was it not for Onion Knight hurrying himself to stop the attack with his sword, hitting the very hand of the man and making him miss the hit. The other young man took that chance and attacked the man with his full force, making him flee the battle.

"Woah! Good moves out there, kid!" the young man talked to Onion Knight once they were left alone "I thought I was done for!"

"I thought you were the one trying to save me" Onion Knight said

"But hey! Are you alright? You are not hurt, are you?"

"Don't worry, I know how to handle myself around battles just fine" Onion explained

"Well, you seemed very scared back then, I thought I'd help!"

"I was not scared…I was just being cautious"

"Well, anyways! What's your name?!" the young man said

"I am one of the Onion Knights!" he said honorably

"Onion Knight? Is that your name?"

"No…" the red-armored boy said "my name is Muuchi but you may call me Onion Knight"

"Muuchi?! Really?!" the young boy joked "well, I guess I'll call you Onion!"

"And who are you, may I ask?" Onion questioned

"The name's Vaan!" the young man said "By the way… Do you know of the warriors of light?" he questioned

"Huh? Why do you ask?" Onion said

"No, I just thought about it! Well, I was actually called a warrior of light in one of my dreams"

"So, you are a warrior of light!" Onion Knight exclaimed surprised "Oh! Please pardon my rudeness, honorable warrior of light and harmony!" he said "(I guess these so-called warriors of light are honorable, aren't they?)" he doubted

"Oh, hey! No need for that!... Are you a warrior of light too, kid?"

"I am! Or so I was called in a dream"

"Cool! Well, I'm not so sure about this warrior of light-thing… I'm a sky pirate in the making, by the way"

"A...sky PIRATE?" he asked, he could not believe his ears. Maybe those warriors of light were not as honorable as he had thought

"Yes! You heard well!"

"Um… fine…I guess" Onion Knight said "it was an honor to meet you, warrior of light Vaan... may our paths cross again someday" he proceeded, hoping Vaan would understand his intentions of leaving by himself. He had not left behind his idea of going into town and searching for his siblings.

"Wait! Are you traveling alone?" Vaan asked him

"Yes, at least until I find my comrades"

"Aren't you scared?"

Onion Knight felt a little offended with that question. What kind of man asks an honorable warrior like him if he's brave or not?! His cheeks went red and the anger rose to his head.

"Pardon…!?" he said with a dubitative tone

"I mean, for a kid like you" Vaan continued "it must be pretty scary to be here all alone"

"Pardon me!" Onion Knight exclaimed "The fact that I am a kid does not interfere with my abilities! And I am no way scared!"

"Well, why don't we travel together?" Vaan proposed "We are both warriors of light after all, aren't we?"

Onion Knight remained silent. He was fine with travelling with others but was it safe to travel with that self-claimed "PIRATE?"

"C'mon! Let's go!" Vaan said "Let's reach the town before night!"

But it seemed Vaan was not going back on his words. He had already taken the decision to accompany him and Onion just noticed it was not going to be easy to shake off the sky pirate from his path. Well, he thought, maybe it was not such a bad idea to have someone to travel with. It was better than being alone. He said no more and so, the two of them directed themselves to the town.

They reached it in no time. Onion Knight was glad they didn't encounter more of those warriors. The town, however, was not as lively as he had expected of such a huge place. The structures and houses, mainly constructed on rock, had many motives printed on them: gold incrustations and mechanical apparatuses controlling the movement of the bridges, elevators and doors. It was such a mechanical city. The most amusing part of the city was the castle in the middle of it which was so huge it gave the idea the whole town was but an extension of it. Armed with missiles and cannons, its sight was as well threatening. Just what kind of place was that one?

Even though the city had so many mechanisms moving everywhere, the townspeople were, however, very lifeless. They did not interact between them or with him or Vaan either. It felt as if they were ghosts. The two warriors of light, nevertheless, directed to the nearest inn and asked for a room. They were received with the same dullness by the owner; but he let them stay so, they were grateful for that. When the night arrived, they had a bed to rest their heads secured; however, there were still many things unresolved that sleeping was not going to be so easy.

Onion was rather interested on Vaan. He had such a strange fashion sense; moreover, he spoke with terms he could not comprehend.

"Where are you from?" Vaan finally asked Onion "I'm from Rabanastre"

"I've never heard of that place…" Onion said "my hometown is called Ur"

"Ur?! Where is that?!" Vaan exclaimed, surprised "it's not in Dalmasca! Are you an Archadian, maybe?"

"I don't know what you are talking about…" he said

"Well, there are yet places to know, right?! That's why I want to be a sky pirate, you know? To have an airship and fly everywhere I want!"

"What is a sky pirate? I don't know what you mean!"

"You don't know what a sky pirate is?! Well, no wonder! You are just a kid! You don't go out of your home without your parents' permission!"

"Excuse me! I don't need my parents' permission or anything! I was chosen by the crystal of wind to save the world with my siblings! I am a warrior!"

"Crystals…? Nethicite, you mean?!"

"No! The crystal of wind!"

"Strange… it is as if we are speaking of two different places…"

"That makes no sense!" Onion said and sat down on one of the beds that was on the room; then, he jumped as a good idea came to his mind "I know! You are from the Underworld!"

"Underworld?!"

"I live in the Floating Continent, in case you were wondering…"

"Floating…continent? Oh! The Sky Continent! But there isn't a place call Ur up there"

"Then I just don't know!" he said and crossed his arms

"But hey! I think it's probable!" Vaan said "The world is a big place, isn't it? I just didn't know your town existed"

"It's a small town but I bet you know of the kingdom of Sasune"

"Nope! Doesn't ring a bell!"

"Um… and do you happen to know where we are?"

"No… I've never been here… I just remember I went to sleep the day before and then, when I woke up, I was here"

"The same happened to me…"

"Well, no sense in worrying! Let's find someone who can tell us where we are! Don't worry! You can count on me!"

"(Count on you?)" he thought "(I'd rather not…)"

Vaan stretched and threw himself on bed; his arms crossed under his head and his sight on the ceiling. On the roof, there were also screws rolling non-stop. They were quite entertaining to look at that it was easy to lose the sense of time by just watching them.

"In my dream…there was a man in a shining armor" the Onion Knight said "was he in your dream too?"

"Ah! Yeah!" Vaan exclaimed

"Then…maybe we should find him and ask him… he was the one who called us warriors of light…he must have brought us here, don't you think?"

"You are one sharp kid, aren't you?!" Vaan said "Tomorrow morning, we are going to search for that guy! But now, let's rest… I'm tired!"

"(How can you be so relaxed?)" Onion thought; however, before he knew, his eyelids felt heavy and he was in the urge to rest his head on the fluffy pillow, and when he did, he irremediably closed his eyes and felt asleep right away.

"Where are you? Please tell me I'm not alone…"

Author notes:

1\. Hello, everyone, thank you for reading the first chapter of my story. First of all, I must tell you I am not a native English speaker, however, I do my best to make as less mistakes as I can.

2\. Second, this is my own take on the Dissidia Final Fantasy Duodecim's story which means I rewrote every single event, and I remade the world as well. I also took my liberties with some of the characters, mostly those ones who don't have much of a personality on their original games (such as Warrior of Light, Firion, and Onion Knight). I also made some changes to Lightning (who I considered needed some work and development).

3\. I placed all of the characters from Duodecim together. I thought it would be more interesting. And I completely removed the "mannequins" subplot.

4\. I call this story a crossover because I did not take the characters from Dissidia right as they were presented there, but from their original games which means they way they act, motives and personalities are right taken from the original games and not Dissidia (which reinvented many of them). Also, so far I have played all of the original FF games in order to write this story and stay in-character as much as I can. The only ones I haven't played are XII and XIII (of which I have watched walkthroughs).

5\. This story contains SPOILERS from the original games.

6\. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy my story!


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **VISIONS**

Everything had happened so fast; the words were spilled in the dream leaving ripples of doubts. Yet, there they were, in a strange town full of foreign people who looked at them with skeptical eyes.

Or could it be they were the actual strangers?

She breathed deeply…

….

"Hey! Yuna!" the one accompanying her told her "Don't mind these people, let's keep going! Someone may be able to tell us where we are!"

Yuna agreed and walked along with him. She couldn't help being quite a bit concerned about their sudden awakening on that foreign land; however, the fact that Tidus, her guardian, was with her, eased her worries a little.

"So! Let's explore!" Tidus insisted "No help in worrying too much! After all, this could be just a dream!"

She considered Tidus's proposition could be actually true. The last she could remember of her time in Spira was of them both going to sleep. After that, she recalled having a very mysterious dream where a man cladded in shining armor was speaking to her; telling her to aid him on some type of mission, and right after, she woke up in that foreign city only in company of her dear friend, fortunately, she thought.

They kept walking. Just some minutes ago, they had left the inn behind and a couple of items' shops in order to search for directions or someone who could help them find a way back to Spira; however, so far, they had only encountered dodging sights, and people speaking on a strange dialect which was nowhere close to Al Bhed's vocabulary so that option was discarded. The city was huge, mechanized, divided by a long river. It expanded, however, not to the sides of it but upwards, towards the very sky, in a circular fashion, rounding the castle in the right center. Everything, from the elevators to the doors, were operated by _machina_. The summoner was rather interested on those things; she had always thought they had already disappeared from Earth about a couple of thousands of years. Tidus, however, could tell her that the technology on that land was nowhere close to that of his Zanarkand and was, more preferably said, rustic and old-fashioned.

Both of them walked until the sunset came down and even though they had spent many hours going around the place, they had not yet traversed it all. Nevertheless, they were too tired to keep going and decided to sit down near a fountain, and relax for a moment. The sky was crowded with dark clouds, as if soon the rain would fall down. People had already headed back to their homes, in that silent walk that was so theirs. Tidus yawned and stretched; even though they were lost, he didn't lose his charisma and tried to cheer Yuna up. Even though he was very worried himself and could not stop his mind from asking many questions regarding their current situation. He was already stranded from his Zanarkand to Spira, and now he was also taken out from Spira?! What kind of madness could be going on?!

The summoner was still anxious; she hoped she could relax but she was not the one to leave things to happen by chance; she preferred to have everything under control. She was trapped inside her mind: her thoughts traveling to her hometown; to her comrades; she wondered where they could be; she hoped they would be safe…maybe they had been called upon that world as well. She was so focused on her worries, she did not notice when Tidus stood up and went walking right to an edge. He had crouched there.

"Yuna! Look at this!" he exclaimed and that snapped her out her mind.

She stood up alarmed and hurried to him, just to find him with a long smile on his face, looking down the edge. As she saw, she noticed what was making him so eager: a yellow-feathered chocobo.

"There are chocobos in this land as well!" he exclaimed

Yuna giggled. It was so funny they were in such a hitch and yet Tidus was so easily distracted by a chocobo.

"Hey! Chocobo friend!" he spoke to it "ya' looking for something?!"

"Oh! Yeah!" he heard a response

Both Yuna and him jumped out of wonder. Had the huge bird spoken?! It was so sudden they could not speculate anything further. However, before they could say something else, a figure arose from behind the chocobo. It was a young and tall man, dressed in a very peculiar fashion. His garments were light and loose; his hair was short and brown; he was wearing many golden décor and lots of jewelry, and a short cape swung from his shoulder to his knees.

"Hahahaha! So it was you who talked and not the chocobo! Ya' scared me, dude!" Tidus exclaimed

"Yes...it was me" the man said

"But you talk just like us! That's great!"

"Oh! Yeah! People around here don't speak at all"

"Are ya' a chocobo knight?" Tidus asked him

"Chocobo...knight?" the young man questioned

"Ya' haven't heard of them? Well, then ya're not one" Tidus said "So! Were you looking for something?"

"Oh! Yes...um... I was just looking for a place to eat... I tried to ask some people but they avoided me, it seems they were afraid of Boko"

"Boko? Is that the name of your chocobo?"

"Um... yes"

"Cool!" Tidus said "well, I don't know this place that much but I'm kinda hungry myself too! So, let's go find one!"

"Alright!" the man said cheerfully

"Let's go, Yuna!" Tidus told her

"Oh! Ok!" she simply said and she realized they had forgotten something important "excuse me" she said to the man "we haven't introduced ourselves… my name is Yuna and my friend is Tidus, what's your name?"

"Oh! I'm Bartz!" the man said "and my friend is Boko!"

"Nice to meet you, Bartz and Boko" she said

"Hehe! Same here!" the man said

Yuna and Tidus descended from their position and went to where Bartz and Boko were. Together, they ventured once again in the city, searching for an inn or pub. On the meantime, Tidus tried to start a conversation with Bartz; however, the young man was completely distracted by the city and its gimmicks. He was especially interested in the castle at the center; she would stare at it for minutes without blinking, frowning from time to time. The blitzball player could not stop himself from asking him if something was wrong; Bartz only shook his head from one side to the other.

"It is strange, but this place seems quite familiar to me…" he said

"But you are not from here, aren't you?!" Tidus asked him

"No… and it is also quite different…let's say, quite a bit livelier?"

"Livelier? How?!"

Bartz didn't answer anymore and continued to stare at the castle, focusing on the cannons standing out on its towers. He thought it looked exactly like those ruins he had once visited at his world; that big structure hiding a precious treasure on its heart; in a lost city plagued of ghosts. Before noticing, he had already pictured himself at those ruins, he had seen his friends once again, but before he could reach them, he felt a hand on right shoulder and he woke up from his dream. He found out it had been Tidus the one touching him, asking him once again if he was fine. Bartz agreed.

"Well" Tidus told him "we found a pub! We can go in and maybe we can get something to eat! I'm really hungry!"

The man of the chocobo agreed and without thinking much, he went right into the pub, taking his chocobo along with him. Of course, that caused an uproar inside which forced him to go out in a hurry. He had completely forgotten people were scared of his feathered friend. Tidus joked about it. It was indeed, pretty stupid to bring a chocobo inside a place like that one; however, right after laughing out loud, he gave the idea another thought: Maybe it was common in Bartz's land to take chocobos inside houses.

Because Bartz was no longer admitted in the pub, Tidus went in and bought some food for the four; right after, they headed near the riverside where they rested under a couple of street lights and eat what they had just bought. They had to eat pretty fast so they didn't have much time to speak with each other, it was already dark and they feared the unexpected. Bartz insisted Yuna and Tidus could have gone to eat at the pub, and he and Boko would have remained outside; however, both Yuna and Tidus insisted on making him company.

"Where will you be spending the night?" Yuna asked Bartz

"I guess Boko and I will head out of the city and stay at the forest" Bartz said

"Isn't it scary for you?" Yuna asked him

"No! It's fine! I'm used to staying at forests!"

"Wow! Do ya' live in some forest?" Tidus questioned

"I am a wanderer" Bartz told him "My chocobo and I go wherever the wind takes us"

"That sounds pretty cool" Tidus told him "but scary too if ya' ask me!"

"You must be very brave, Bartz" Yuna told him

"No! I don't think so…actually…" he was about to say something when he changed his mind "no! Never mind!"

"And you are traveling all by yourself…" Yuna told him

"Don't worry! I have Boko with me!" he said "and just lately I've found some friends to go along with… I still have to find them, though"

"Same goes for us!" Tidus said

"Well, guess it's late" Bartz told them "you should head for the inn"

"So, you are not coming with us…" Yuna said

"I can't leave Boko behind!" he exclaimed

"Hey! But let's meet up tomorrow morning!" Tidus told him "we can travel together until you find your friends and we find ours!"

"Sounds fine to me" Bartz said

"Then we are set!" Tidus exclaimed

They all agreed and right after, they separated. The wanderer jumped on his chocobo's back and headed outside of the city. Tidus and Yuna directed to the nearest inn where they rented a room, and prepared to stay the night there. Once they had finished with their preparations, they heard the sound of a thunder. Rain was coming. Of course, the summoner felt bad for the wanderer.

"I wonder if he'll be alright" she said

"He'll be!" Tidus said "he said he was used at living in forests!"

"Let's hope he is…"

"Hey! Wait! We forgot to ask him about the prophecy!" Tidus exclaimed "maybe he knew something about it!"

"You are right!" Yuna surprised

"Tsk! We missed our chance! It'll have to wait for tomorrow!"

Yuna was already sat down on one of the beds. As they were talking, Tidus walked to her bed and sat down next to her. They remained silent for a while, and before they knew, their eyes had found each other. Tidus, however, felt quite embarrassed after a while and lowered his head.

"Yuna..." he said "I'm glad we are in this together..."

"Ah!...me too" Yuna said and lowered her head too

"If we stay together like this, things'll be real easy, dontcha think?"

"You...you are right!" Yuna said and smiled

"Well... let's sleep..."

"Um...sure..."

They looked at each other once again and couldn't help but smile to each other and giggle. The ambient in the inn was hushed, it helped them both relax. They remained a long time just gazing upon each other, breathing slowly and silently kissing with their sights only. They had known it since the first day but even after all the time they had spent together, they had been too shy to openly reveal their feelings…Maybe that was the right moment to do so? Both thought about talking but then their lips were sealed by shame and again silence rose victorious. Yuna, then, closed her eyes and rested her head on Tidus's chest. He placed his hand on her head, they still didn't meddle word.

"(If only we could stay this way forever)" Yuna thought "(that would mean the whole world to me…)"

However, suddenly, Tidus felt a sudden pain inside his heart, a cold and freezing pain. He stood up slowly, Yuna moved and noticed her friend was trembling. She asked him about what was happening, he could not explain. He felt an urge to get outside so he told her; Yuna decided to go along with him. They both exited the inn, Tidus walked fast; there was an agitation in his steps that was not usual of his calm demeanor. Yuna kept asking him about what he felt; he didn't say a thing as his head was too confused to put it in phrases.

As they reached a road, Tidus raised his head and for a moment, his sight turned blurred and in the distance, he thought he saw a familiar figure…

"Ah…? D…Dad?! What is he doing here?!" he exclaimed and ran to encounter himself with the figure

"Tidus!" Yuna screamed

Tidus didn't listen. There was the image of his father on the shore, the place where he was last seen before disappearing. Why was he there? Why was he running to reach him? What was that he felt? A void in his heart? Suddenly, he saw an enormous wave rising; freezing on the heights for a moment… he recalled the water monster and so, he stopped moving. That monster was the one who before took him away from Zanarkand leading him to Spira. He thought for a moment, maybe they were still at Spira? Maybe Sin was there too?

"Tidus!" she screamed once again and whistled as strong as she could.

Tidus listened to Yuna's whistle and closed his eyes with strength and then reopened them. He noticed he was standing on the bridge's banister and right ahead was a great fall leading to the river. Had it all been just an illusion. He turned his head and looked at Yuna whose face was still troubled. He breathed and as he was about to descend from the banister, a huge wave arose right behind him. It all happened so quick, Yuna ran as fast as she could and tried to hold on to Tidus's hand but it was already too late. He had fallen all the way down and right into the river that flowed on the surroundings of the city.

"Tidus!" she screamed again. And whistled once, twice, three times... yet, this time... it didn't work...

"How did this happen?" she thought and felt on her knees "it had been so sudden… what could have been on Tidus's mind on that moment… Oh! It had been such a beautiful evening...to end up like that…"

Another thunder was heard on the sky and the heavy rain that followed drenched Yuna completely. She remained with her head lowered for a moment; still trying to cope up with everything that had so suddenly happened. She could not understand why Tidus had so suddenly gone running like that and, even worst of it, claiming to have seen his father, sir Jecht who she knew very well. She clenched her fists and slowly stood up, yet her eyes looking down.

"No... I can't stay here" she thought "I can't stay here like this! I'll find you, Tidus!" she exclaimed and started running, following the direction of the water stream.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

 **THE FAIRIES ARE HERE!**

For a long time, he had wished to speak to that man, the one he had impersonated on his dreams. He had wished to discover why he was seeing him on those recurring dreams; why he was exploring him through his adventures and subconscious, and even, experimenting his deepest emotions. It was that man of long hair, owner of a machine gun, a soldier from the great continent of Galbadia who had fought in a war, fell in love with a pianist and finally, after an incident, had ended up in small town taking care of the monsters' infestation, all in order to protect that woman that had so taken care of him when he was badly injured, and for the love of the little girl he so much appreciated as if she was his own daughter... which he coincidentally knew well.

He had so wished to meet that man to ask him about so many things that at the moment he met him, he simply could not speak everything that was on his mind. He had suddenly appeared in a forest along that man and was left mute. The man, on the other side, was as talkative as ever, trying to figure out what was going on through many questions.

"So, you say your name is Squall" the man told him "and that you are from a place… Balamb Garden, you say?"

"Yes" Squall spoke frankly

"You claim to be a SEED and you say you know me?"

"Yes" Squall repeated

"But how can it be…? I don't remember you!" the man said

"I saw you…but in dreams…" Squall clarified

"In dreams?!" the man exclaimed "well, let's see… what's my name again?!" the man said

"Laguna" Squall responded

"Wow! You really know it! Um… let's see…what else can I ask to prove…?"

"That woman… Julia, you loved her"

"Woah! Woah!" Laguna exclaimed "Ok! I believe you! Say no more!" Laguna said and walked closer to Squall "but don't give me such a worried face! Let's focus on the matter at hand and we can think about your strange dream later!"

In fact, there was their sudden transportation to that mysterious forest neither of the two knew about. Squall wondered if that would be some kind of trick played by Ellone. Indeed, it could be the case considering her powers. He did not discard it could be nothing but an illusion or another dream and that maybe, even his encounter with Laguna, could be nothing but that as well. He would not easily trust his eyes; he was to figure out the truth before assuming anything. Squall had lost himself in thoughts when he was adverted by Laguna's voice.

"You are very quiet, aren't you?" Laguna told him "I'll say it again, don't worry too much! Take this as an adventure, ok? We'll find our way back! I have to go looking for Ellone!" he exclaimed

"Ellone… the little girl…" Squall said "I know her…"

"You really know it all!" Laguna exclaimed "maybe you are the fairy we joked about"

"The fairy?"

"Never mind… but it's not fair! You know so many things about me and I know nothing about you… you have to tell me more about yourself, ok?"

"…"

"…guess that won't be easy…"

They kept walking without direction, searching for any sign of people staying nearby. Laguna kept talking, saying a joke, then another one, laughing around… Squall could not believe he could be so easy-going even when being lost. Soon it will be late- Squall thought- and we don't even have anything to eat, yet this guy seems to have no problem with that… maybe it's because he was in the army and has been into worse, or maybe he's just plain stupid…

And then suddenly, as if the things could go no worse, the sky went grey and a heavy rain began falling without prior notice. It was so intense they lost sight of each other in an instant and they could no either hear each other… because of that, it was in no time they separated. It was that moment when Squall truly began to believe maybe it had been actually an illusion… there was no way he could encounter that man from his dreams, wasn't it? Or at least that's what his mind was telling him… not exactly what he truly wished to be real. He went into a cave he just found on his way and hid there to wait for the rain to pass. He sat down near the entrance and glanced to the forest once again, maybe Laguna was still there, he wondered. It would be nice if he was still around there, he thought. After all, he still had many things he wanted to ask him. He promised to himself, next time he would see him, he would make all the questions. Only if the two were ever to find each other again, if they ever were. He breathed deeply… he was torn between what his mind, cool and collected, was telling him and what his heart wanted. But it had always been like that for him, hadn't it? Mainly because he had decided to lock up his heart in order to keep it away from the cruelty of the world… the world was a harsh place, a place to face with both your feet on the earth… unlike that Laguna guy, that guy with his mind always up in the clouds…

Squall was serene, looking at the rain when he heard steps coming from inside the cave. Those steps sounded heavy and were drawing closer to his location. He stood up and grabbed his gunblade on his hand; he had nowhere to hide so he just waited… whatever may arrive him, he would counterattack. He was no planning on running away, that was not the way a SEED like himself handles things. As the sound of the steps approached him, it intensified and even more steps could be heard. How many were there? Maybe two, at maximum… one of them could be wounded, his steps sounded weaker. He kept waiting. Then, two shadows arose from the very bowels of the cave and what he saw was something he would have never expected: a young man and a chocobo. The man was carrying a pot and some bread. Squall lowered his weapon… it seemed they were only travelers who may have been trapped in the cave because of the rain as well.

"Ah! Hey! You are locked here because of the rain too?!" the young man spoke to Squall

The SEED agreed.

"Boko and I got stuck as well… we just came from the town" the young man said

"So there is a town…" Squall thought

"You have quite the interesting weapon there" the wanderer continued talking "I've never seen one like it, how do you call it?"

"Gunblade" Squall told him and then thought "(he is not afraid of weapons… maybe he's no ordinary wanderer)"

"Wow! Interesting… well, it seems we are going to stay here for a while" the wanderer said "so guess we can both rest here… you are not some kind of marauder or something like that, right?!" he exclaimed "you were not planning on killing us with that blade of yours, right?"

"No…" Squall said

"Hahaha! Ok! Fine! What's your name? I'm Bartz! And my friend is Boko"

"Squall…"

"Have you eaten yet?" Bartz said "we still have some soup and bread left if you would like some"

"No, it's fine…" Squall said

Bartz shrugged and left the food in a corner, then, he went sitting near the entrance of the cave but at quite some distance from Squall. His chocobo went right behind him and sat down as well, making himself comfortable while shaking his feathers rapidly. Squall returned to his position and relaxed. He went back to staring at the rain; he had no intention of speaking with Bartz, yet he could not help thinking and once in a while glancing at the wanderer and his chocobo… the young man was dressed in a very peculiar manner he had never seen before and the fact that he was being accompanied by a chocobo just made everything even more unusual. And then for a second, he remembered that Laguna had spoken about a fairy before so, maybe he had been right and there was indeed a fairy on those lands… maybe that man with the short cape and loose clothes was that mystical being.

"Are you the fairy?" he plainly asked

"A fairy?!" Bartz exclaimed "is there a fairy around here?!"

"No, I mean…" Squall said "are you a fairy?"

"Ah! I don't think so…" the man said "have you seen a fairy before?"

Squall refused.

"Me neither…" Bartz said "I've seen werewolves though…"

"Werewolves…"

"Yeah… there aren't many werewolves at all in many villages, they live in Quelb"

"Haven't heard of that place"

"Well, maybe that's because it is in the other world… I just forgot about that…"

"The other world, you say…"

"Yeah! You know! The one the meteors came from!"

"Fairies… werewolves, and meteors" Squall thought "and a strange guy with a chocobo friend… what else?!"

When his thoughts revolved on his mind, also did the wind that flew into the cave with violence. Because of it, they closed their eyes for a couple of seconds and when they reopened them, they noticed the chocobo was up and anxious. Bartz asked him about his sudden change on attitude; the enormous bird, with his beak, pointed the site where Bartz had left the food. The wanderer and Squall both turned their sights towards that place and found a short person hidden under a long cape and hoodie, kneeling right in front of the food. Both warriors alarmed, Squall picked up his sword once again; Bartz hurried himself, unarmed, towards the stranger and demanded him about his identity.

"Heh heh… you caught me…" the stranger said "guess… I'm not doing that well today…heh…"

"Who are you?" Bartz asked him again

"Easy, man…" the person said, his voice was that of a young man "we can sort this up the easy way… see, I just need some food, just that… I was going to ask for it but you seemed busy talking so, I just didn't want to interrupt you"

"Sure" Squall thought "as if I don't recognize a thief when I see it…" then he spoke to the man while yet carrying his weapon "show us your face and tell us your name!"

"Ok, fine! Fine!" the young man said and turned, he removed the hoodie from his head, showing his blonde hair and his tired blue eyes. He was, indeed, but a young man around sixteen.

"Your name" Squall said

"Hahaha! Chill out!" he said to the SEED "the name's Zidane"

"So, are you a thief?" Bartz asked him

"I'm no thief!" Zidane said "I… I was going to ask for the food, remember?"

"Oh…right… that…" Bartz said

"So, you guys are traveling together?" Zidane said "quite the bad weather we have today, eh?"

"Yeah, it's been pretty bad" Bartz said

"Don't let your guard down" Squall said to Bartz as he noticed he had already lost focus on the matter at hand

"So, guys" Zidane said "can I ask you now if you could spare me some food? You know, it's been a hard day for me… I've been lost in this forest for quite a while and this strange pressure in my chest that never leaves… come on, guys! It won't be that much!"

"Um… ok?" Bartz said

"Thanks, man!" Zidane exclaimed "I will pay you some day, I promise!"

"The promise of a thief…" Squall said

Zidane picked the pot and one of the remaining breads and stood up but as he did, the wind blew stronger once again and entered the cave with violence. As it did, it made the cape covering the short man, fly away, revealing his long yellow tail.

"You have a tail!?" Bartz exclaimed surprised.

Zidane remained quiet as if he could not grasp why Bartz would be that astonished by the fact. Squall just thought:

"And now we have a monkey… we really are only missing the fairy now…"

Bartz was left in complete astonishment; Squall thought it was impressive for a man who had claimed to have seen werewolves would be so surprised by the sight of a tailed-man.

"Well… this kind of tail is not that common in Tifa but hey! Many guys and girls have tails! Take the cleyrans for example and… there are many others! I can tell!"

"Are you from another planet?" Bartz asked him

"Another planet…? Um… well… I don't know!" Zidane exclaimed "but that's completely fine! Ah! I'm so hungry!" he exclaimed and sat down, giving a big bite to the bread.

"What?!" Zidane immediately exclaimed as he noticed the other two were left in silence "I'm hungry and it's raining too much! I'm not leaving yet"

"I'll keep an eye on you then" Squall told him

"Take it easy, Squally! I don't bite! Hahahahaha!"

"I know, you steal"

"I won't steal from you… unless you know a pretty girl I can take from you hahahahaha!"

"Are you here by yourself?" Bartz asked Zidane

"Yeah… I remember I was sleeping comfortably when suddenly I had a really weird dream and then, I suddenly appeared in this forest!"

"What?! Same happened to me?!"

"A dream of a light" Squall said "and a man in shiny armor speaking something about crystals and warriors"

"It's the same dream!" Bartz exclaimed

"Then…you two are…" Squall said "warriors of light?"

"Yes! That's what he said!" Zidane exclaimed "guess we are allies then"

"Oh! Thank the Great Tree of Moor!" Bartz said and sat down "I can relax now…"

"Sounds good to me too" Zidane said "you have food and I have the best sort of skills to get out of this forest"

"You climb trees?" Squall asked him

"Heh! And so much more! I'm rather popular with girls!"

"A smooth talker…"

"Take it easy! Everything will go well!" he said and stood up once again; he walked towards the exit of the cave and stared at the pouring rain "once the rain passes, we go all out… our friends must be out there"

Zidane remained silent for a while; he kept looking at the rain, it was falling so heavily and the cry of the water drops crashing against the grass of the forest, made it difficult to listen to the others who were inside the cave. He thought he had heard a voice or two but his ears were already completely deaf. He felt a restricting sensation on his heart and his chest felt heavy. He held it with his hands and he almost lost balance. After regaining it, though, he directed his sight to the forest again and for a second, he thought he had seen a familiar yet undesirable figure.

"So this is your trick, you bastard!" he exclaimed and went running under the rain but just to fall miserably right after.

Squall and Bartz both surprised as they heard him scream. When they both arrived, they found the young man unconscious at some few steps out of the cave, strange enough it was that when both reached him, the rain abruptly stopped. The SEED and the wanderer arose their heads just to discover, right over, the silhouette of an enormous airship.


End file.
